Oxadiazole-An Important Bioactive Scaffold for Drug Discovery and Development Process Against HIV and Cancer- A Review

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cancer treatment have been a major task for research scientists and pharmaceutical industry for the last many years. Seeking to the development, many promising chemical entities especially five-membered heterocyclic rings like oxadiazole have revealed good anticancer and anti HIV activities. The current review enlists some recently developed anti-HIV and anti-cancer oxadiazole moieties.

Methods: on the basis of structural modification for the syntheses of new oxadiazole analogs, the new anti-HIV and anti-cancer agents have been summarized, which can improve treatment of AIDs and cancer.

Results: The oxadiazole ring is more potent in comparison to some other heterocyclic rings (five and six membered) towards anti-HIV and anti-cancer activities. The important mechanisms involved for anti HIV and anticancer activity are mainly inhibition of enzymes like protease, HIV-integrase, telomerase, histone deacetylase, methionine amino peptidase, thymidylate synthase and focal adhesion kinase and inhibition of some growth factors.

Conclusion: By reviving the past literature about 50 most potent oxadiazole derivatives, depending upon activity and structural modifications, have been selected as potent anti-HIV, and anti-cancer agents. Thus, oxadiazole seems to be a ‘privileged structure’ for further screening and syntheses of the new drug analogs against life threatening HIV and cancer like diseases.